Need you, Want you, Miss you, Love you
by RenzokukenZ
Summary: Giftfic for Aranae. Songfic of Daft Punk's "Something About Us" Cloud has something to confess to Tifa, but things don't go as planned. R&R. No Cloud bashing in reviews!


**I promised Aranae a oneshot roughly 2 months ago, and now after ramming my head through walls and other not-so-blunt objects trying to remove writer's block and succeeding, I have finally been able to write it.**

**Why? Because I felt like it.**

**Disclaimer: The characters are owned by Square-Enix and the song is sole property of Daft Punk. I am a fan of both.**

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Need you, Want you, Miss you, Love you

By RenzokukenZ

The faint sound of an engine's roar was heard on the darkened outskirts of Edge. After a great many deliveries, Cloud rushed down the blackened road, the light from Fenrir guiding him towards his destination. His last delivery for the night. But it wasn't a package that was being delivered. It was more of a message. And the closer he came to his destination, the clearer his message was becoming. A message he has been keeping inside for too long. A message he will finally say as he parked Fenrir near the Seventh Heaven bar.

_**It might not be the right time**_

_**I might not be the right one**_

When the swordsman entered the pub, he was surprised to see that there were still a few patrons at this time of night. At times the bar would be so busy that it's no surprise to see it still open after closing hours, so Cloud paid no mind to it and took a seat next to the counter. The hostess was nowhere in sight, save for a young assistant, so the blond took this opportunity to piece together his message one last time. He recited his choice of words over and over in his head, moving his lips in the same choreography. He wanted it to be perfect, precise. After all, he never used these words before. Nor has he felt them. Until now.

_**But there's something about us I want to say**_

_**Cause there's something between us anyway**_

One by one the patrons began leaving, the bar becoming more silent. This gave Cloud a nostalgic feeling, but quickly saw that this could work in his favor. Now there would be no reason to hold back. The only problem was, the hostess was not here.

"Um, excuse me, miss?" he called for the assistant, a young girl who worked part-time, and she strode to his side of the counter.

"Hello! How can I help you?"

"Yes, do you know where the hostess of the bar is at this time?"

"Hm, I think she's at the back. Let me check, ok?"

She left her post and headed towards the storage room in the back, all the while Cloud wondering what she was doing back there for so long. He knew he should have ordered a drink first. He gave his surroundings one last look and saw that he was the only one in the bar. Everyone else was gone. The ominous feeling returned to Cloud, but left yet again when the hostess sneaked up on him while his sight laid elsewhere.

"Hey, Cloud!"

"Uh, hey, Tifa."

He really needed that drink.

_**I might not be the right one**_

_**It might not be the right time**_

He was losing it. Tifa was standing right there in front of him, a bright smile directed to her childhood friend, and all that confidence the swordsman had built up prior to this was escaping him faster by the second. He seriously needed to calm his nerves, and it seems the martial artist read his mind as she handed him a glass full of ice and much needed alcohol. He took the beverage in hand and sent the booze down his mouth, a satisfying gulp followed after.

"You okay there, Cloud? You looked like you were about to collapse!" Tifa asked, a playful laugh following her latter remark. Cloud pathetically laughed along, mostly because she was right, and took another drink.

"Yeah I'm fine. Just tired from all these deliveries."

"Who wouldn't be? You're out on the road most of the time. I only see you at least a few hours a day."

Cloud set his drink gently on the table, his confidence returning to him. "Well, there is one advantage to those long drives."

"What's that?"

"It gives you time to think and figure things out."

_**But there's something about us I've got to do**_

_**Some kind of secret I will share with you**_

The gauntlet has been set. The adrenaline was rushing. His confidence was back at full throttle. Cloud knew the time was right. Tifa merely gazed at him with scarlet eyes, curious as to what the swordsman was implying with his last statement.

"So, what did you figured out, Cloud?"

_**I need you more than anything in my life**_

"I figured that the past is the past and I can't do a thing about it, and that I need to focus on my future, and…what I want in that future."

"And what is it that you want?"

_**I want you more than anything in my life**_

"I want…I need to tell you something." Cloud could hear his heart racing inside his chest, and from the look on Tifa's face, it was obvious that something big was about to be said, as her heart pounded too.

"What is it?" She had to keep herself from choking in her own words. Cloud too was feeling a bit nervous. His palms were sweaty and that nostalgic feeling was back. But he's already this close. He will deliver his message tonight.

_**I'll miss you more than anyone in my life**_

"Tifa, …I…I…"

"Hey, Teef! Where are you? Dinner's gettin' cold, yo!"

Both Cloud and Tifa rose up in shock upon hearing a cocky voice escape the storage room area. In mere seconds, the shady figure of a man in a navy blue suit came in view, his red bangs hanging over emerald eyes.

"Reno! Um, yeah, I'll be there in a sec. Just talking to Cloud right now." Tifa said hesitantly, trying vainly to regain her composure as Reno went back to the storage room, oblivious of Cloud's existence. Said blonde's eyes were fixated on the Turk until he left, and then quickly averted them to the half empty glass before him.

He was too late. He took too long. She had finally moved on. The swordsman mentally cursed himself for not acting sooner, but then made a solitary decision.

"So, uh, Cloud. What was it that you were gonna tell me?"

Cloud was thrown from his mental epiphany as Tifa's still shaky voice called out to him. He looked back at the brunette woman and saw that her eyes were shining like polished rubies, something the swordsman hasn't seen in a long time. Maybe all wasn't lost.

"I was saying that I…I…am going on vacation."

Tifa blinked and made a face that seemed out of place. "What?"

"I'm going on vacation, and I wanted to tell you that so that if anyone calls about a delivery, to tell them that I'll be gone for a few weeks." He lifted his glass and drank down the last remaining drops and stood up, Tifa instinctively taking the empty glass.

"When are you leaving?"

"Tonight. I just came by to let you know. …Goodnight, Tifa."

"…'Night, Cloud. Have a safe trip."

He let out a tired sigh and headed towards the door, filing his day as done. Tifa still had a confused mindset, and seemed motionless even after the blond swordsman left the bar. Cloud was tired, and a bit sad. He had only himself to blame. He took her for granted, believing that she would always wait for him. It was foolish, and in a way, selfish of Cloud to think that. And now she has moved on, and the heartbroken man knew he had to accept it, and keep his true emotions hidden once again.

"Why didn't you tell her, yo?"

Cloud was already onboard Fenrir when he saw Reno walking towards him, a stern look on his face. The swordsman didn't see the need to get off, as it was apparent that the Turk wasn't out here looking for a fight. He also knew what the red-head was referring to.

"She has already decided to continue with her life. To tell her that now would only hold her back."

"So what? You're just gonna leave her in the dark and play the role of martyr?"

Despite his hatred towards the Turk, he was right. Cloud thought about it for a while, choosing carefully the words for his response. When he found his choice of words, he turned to Reno with a small smile.

"I want her to be happy, whether I'm there or not. And…something tells me she already knows." With that, he revved up Fenrir and sped off into the darkness from whence he came, light from his bike appearing to be much brighter as it appears as a glowing ball in the blackened void.

_**I love you more than anyone in my life**_

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**Hope I did it right. And I also hope you like it, Aranae. That goes for everyone else, too.**

**Please read and review!**


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